Radio and like tube socket and contact for the same



Feb. 13, 1945. s DEL CAMP 2,369,541

RADIO AND LIKE TUBE SOCKET AND CONTACT FOR THE SAME Filed Dec. 16, 1942 2 gwua/wtom Patented Feb. 13, 1945 aamo m: LIKE rims sooner AND CONTACT roa 'rna SAME Scipione M. Del Camp, Maywood, Ill., assignor to Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago,

lit, a corporation of Illinois Application December 16, 1942, Serial No. 469,159 1' Claim. (01. 173-328) "The present invention relates to electrical sockets for mounting electrical tubes and like appliances and aims generally to improve the construction of exsting sockets of that type.

More particularly the invention aims to improve the construction of a socket for a miniature base tube, in which the dielectric-is a onepiece support firmly held in a metal saddle for mounting the socket to a chassis and the contact spring is of tubular construction and can be renewed and replaced without disassembling or dismounting the socket.

Other aims and objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following more detailed description thereof, reference being made to the accom panying drawing illustrating one preferred construction embodying the invention.

In the drawing wherein the several views illustrate the construction on a greatly enlarged scale for clarity of illustration:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a completed socket installation according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the dielectric sup- P Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view thereof taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional \u'ew taken on the line t63 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is 9, vertical sectional view taken on the line 1-7 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 35 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the lin 9-4 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of one of the contact springs prior to assembly with the dielectric base;

Fig. ii is a horizontal sectional view thereof taken on the line ilil of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 3.2 is a similar view taken on the line i2-l 2 of Fig. lb.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved socket comprises a dielectric base i which conveniently may be of molded plastic having an enlarged flanged head 2 adapted to be positioned in a metal retainer or saddle 3 for attachment to a support 4% such as a chassis, by

suitable means, as for example rivets 5.

The i and flange 2 thereof are formed with opposed recesses 6, preferably arcuate in shape, to receive arcuate portions i of the retainer or saddle 3 to prevent the base I from turning therein. The intermediate sides of the flanged head 2 have bevelled recessed portions 8 to receive the flanged sides of the sheet metal retainer which may be pressed. into the recessedportions 8 to prevent accidental displacement of the base from the retainer. 1

The base i may be of the type designed to support a miniature type tube having a plurality of contact prongs extending therefrom and disposed in a circular arrangement. With such miniature tubes the centers of the circularly ar-' ranged prongs are on approximately .1875 of an inch radius. The base I, which must provide a plurality of circularly arranged socket contacts, one for each of the plugs,'is therefore preferably of one-piece molded construction having a central opening 9 and a circular series of contactreceiving openings Hi.

Advantageously the upper face of the base i is provided with a depression H and an annular groove l2 therein, the openings Ill being disposed in said groove. Each of the openings 80 extend entirely through said base, and near the end opposite the groove E2 there is a shoulder portion l3 which may be integral with the base and which extends into the opening ill to restrict the crosssectional area thereof as at M. Preferably the opening Ill is cylindrical and the opening M- is of irregular shape having a semi-cylindrical portion of the same radius as the opening it! and an opposed semi-cylindrical opening of less radius (see Fig. 9), thus providing shoulders l5 which preferably have a slight radius.

The lower face-of the base is advantageously formed with a plurality of integral radial ribs is disposed between respective contact-receiving openings ill and which may extend from the outer edge of the base inwardly beyond the openings. These ribs may be molded integrally with the base and serve to segregate th contacts mounted in the openings to. p

A spring metal contact socket is mounted in each of the openings to and these contact sockets are of novel construction to permit ready mounting and replacement thereof.

The socket contact members (see Figs. 16 to 12 inclusive) are of one-piece sheet metal construction having a closed portion 2e, split as at El longitudinally to provide a resilient prong-receiving socket. Preferably the portion 20 is of a size and shape to fit snugly in the openings is and in the illustrated form is of cylindrical shape,

and of less length than the opening in. One end of the portion 20 is slightly flared outwardly as at 22 to facilitate-entrance of a contact prong therein, and the opposite end is formed with an extension 23 of approximately half the cross-sectional area of the portion l0, herein illustrated as of semi-circular cross-sectional shape. The longitudinal side edges of the extension are notched as at 24 at a point spaced from the closed portion 20 presenting abrupt shoulders 25 adapted to engage with the shoulders [5 of the reduced openings l4 (see Fig. 6). The lower portion of the extension 23 is of such length as. to extend well below the base I of the socket member to provide a wiring terminal, and the end portion thereof may be apertured as at 26 for the reception of a conductor core to be connected thereto. The contact is advantageously formed of very thin sheet metal which is readily deformable and the provision of the opposed notches 24 in the edges of the extension 23 provide a restricted arcuate portion between them which is frangible to localize breakage of the contact as by bending.

The contacts are assembled in the openings l by'merely slipping the extension ends thereof into the upper open end of the cylindrical openings H). The contact may be readily slipped in place in such openings to a position where the shoul ders 25 engage the shoulders l of the reduced opening. In this position the closed'prong-receiving portion 20 of the contact is completely housed in the openings in and preferably is spaced relative to the shoulders I5. The outer terminal portion of the semi-circular extension which constitutes the wiring terminal extends beyond the base I and is adapted to be flattened by any suitable instrument, as for example a pair of pliers as shown in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig. 12. This presents a wiring terminal below the notch portion 24 of greater width than the notch portion, presenting shoulders 25 adapted to engage the adjacent face of the base and prevent removal of the contact therefrom. -The flattened wiring terminals 21 are disposed between adjacent ribs l8 of the base, which prevent the rotation of the contacts in the sockets suificiently in their openings In so as to contact one another. Preferably the flattened terminal portions are bent angularly against the base between the ribs, and then outwardly therefrom to facilitate connecting the conductor cores thereto.

When it is desired to replace the contact sockets, if for any reason they become damaged, the terminal portion may be bent back and forth to fracture the extension in the frangible portion between the two notches 24. The closed portion 20 may then be removed through the upper open end of the openings and a new contact inserted therein. 4

If desired, a tubular metal shielding member 2? may be disposed in the central aperture 9 of the base, as is usual in certain types of installations.

It will be apparent that my improved construction permits manufacture and assembly of tube sockets, particularly those for miniature tubes, with a minimum of labor and expense.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best defined by the following claim.

I claim:

A tube and like socket comprising a base of insulating material having an annular series of contact-receiving openings extending therethrough, said openings having an enlarged elongated portion of uniform cross-sectional area and a reduced portion of restricted cross-sectional area adjacent one end thereof with the restricted opening in alignment with one side of the enlarged opening, a sheet metal socket member mounted in each of said openings and formed with a tubular prong-receiving portion disposed in said enlarged openings and an extension therefrom of less cross-sectional area extending through and beyond said reduced portion, said extension being normally curved in cross section and being fiat beyond said opening to provide a terminal portion of diiierent cross-section from the remainder of said extension to prevent displacement of said contact from said base.

SCIPIONE M. DEL CAMP. 

